JayFarrar watch — Let's keep me alive

[JayFarrar]

As I have told others, I no longer do sports. I work on investigative pieces and news side stuff.
I occasionally venture back into sports land, but just for freelance money.
Anyway, I'm working on a project that involves my local cops.
In short: I'm working on an article that basically says all my local cops are tax cheats. They are issued patrol cars to take home and they have to declare their commuter mileage as income. They aren't. They also have to declare as income if they are getting a place to live for free or a reduced rate. Some apartment complexes will hire the cop as off-duty security and their payment is free or reduced rent.
That is income and the cops seem to be operating under the "I'm a cop, so I don't have to follow the law" rule.
They may also be maintaining dual residences. One for their wife and family and one for their mistress/girlfriend. Stashing the other girl in the free place.
The ones who live in the suburbs may have also registered to vote in town so they could cast ballots in the local races. That would be like voter fraud.
Word travels and it has gotten around what I'm working on.
A reporter from another outlet e-mails me and says he has heard that they are scheming to harass me or just beat me up.
He also writes, "Dude, You might want to be careful with that story. Leave messages as to where you are and where you will be. ... You know how the cops and all around here are. Just be careful."

So, this is some good stuff. If I seem to be gone for more than a few days at a time, notify the Justice Department or something.

 

[Paper Dragon]

How did you get a copy of each officer's tax returns?

 

[Appgrad05]

Well, if they come and beat you up the virgin can run — oh, wait — and call the cops — well, damn.

Jay, you're ****ed. Which might be the first time in months.

 

[JayFarrar]

I didn't.
The police department is supposed to account for the mileage and send each officer a statement listing the mileage and the amount it is worth. This all came about after the last major tax code change.
The city hasn't been doing that. So they are not in compliance. The cops seem to think they get some sort of public safety exemption, so they haven't been reporting it either.
That is also true for the apartments.
If you work for somebody, your employer has to issue a W-9. If you are hired as a security guard and your pay is a grand a month. Then you have to declare that as income. But instead of getting paid cash, the money goes to their rent for the cops.
That's a tax violation
Whether you are getting paid or paid in kind, you are still getting paid.
It has to be declared.
The cops here think they don't have to declare it. Since it is somehow "exempt".
The same is true for reporters.
I have to declare as income my freelance money.
You got cops here, living in luxury apartments that are in excess of two grand a month to live in. More than $25,000 a year in income, not declared.
The IRS auditors just spooged themselves.

 

[Paper Dragon]

I didn't.
The police department is supposed to account for the mileage and send each officer a statement listing the mileage and the amount it is worth. This all came about after the last major tax code change.
The city hasn't been doing that. So they are not in compliance. The cops seem to think they get some sort of public safety exemption, so they haven't been reporting it either.
That is also true for the apartments.
If you work for somebody, your employer has to issue a W-9. If you are hired as a security guard and your pay is a grand a month. Then you have to declare that as income. But instead of getting paid cash, the money goes to their rent for the cops.
That's a tax violation
Whether you are getting paid or paid in kind, you are still getting paid.
It has to be declared.
The cops here think they don't have to declare it. Since it is somehow "exempt".
The same is true for reporters.
I have to declare as income my freelance money.
You got cops here, living in luxury apartments that are in excess of two grand a month to live in. More than $25,000 a year in income, not declared.
The IRS auditors just spooged themselves.

Sounds like an interesting story.

I'm preaching to the choir, but cops are notorious for "adhering to the letter of the law" unless it's a freedom of information request or something else that they deem unpatriotic.

Don't sweat the threats. I've been there - both in person and through the grapevine - but it's all bluster unless they're certifiably dog-shooting crazy (I've run into a couple of those as well). They're not used to someone other than their commanders questioning them. They may be cold to you for a while but they won't physically do anything.

Keep in touch with your coworkers if it makes you feel better, but even if one makes a non-deadly threat to you I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. I once had a guy threaten to take out my knees with his asp baton. I pretty much kept it to myself and a few days later he apologized. Actually, he became one of my best inside sources.

 

[Dickens Cider]

I blame the Clintons. First, Vince Foster, now you, Jay.

 

[21]

They may also be maintaining dual residences. One for their wife and family and one for their mistress/girlfriend. Stashing the other girl in the free place.

I sure hope you can confirm or reject that 'may also be' before the story gets out. Yikes.

 

[Paper Dragon]

They may also be maintaining dual residences. One for their wife and family and one for their mistress/girlfriend. Stashing the other girl in the free place.

I sure hope you can confirm or reject that 'may also be' before the story gets out. Yikes.

Yep. Jay, you probably want to leave the whole mistress part out together.

 

[21]

They may also be maintaining dual residences. One for their wife and family and one for their mistress/girlfriend. Stashing the other girl in the free place.

I sure hope you can confirm or reject that 'may also be' before the story gets out. Yikes.

Yep. Jay, you probably want to leave the whole mistress part out together.

Of course, if he CAN confirm it, that's a helluva lot more interesting than cheating on a mileage report.

 

[JayFarrar]

My brother is a cop.
I can confirm for an absolute fact that cops take advantage of the free apartments and use them for their girlfriends or as places to have sex with someone not their wife.
One of the big apartment management companies in my part of the world, will give cops keys to an empty place if they ask.

 

[Paper Dragon]

My brother is a cop.
I can confirm for an absolute fact that cops take advantage of the free apartments and use them for their girlfriends or as places to have sex with someone not their wife.
One of the big apartment management companies in my part of the world, will give cops keys to an empty place if they ask.

Will you be quoting your brother?

 

[zagoshe]

God forbid if anyone on this planet is making a few extra bucks that the government can't get its grubby hands on.......

 

[dargan]

Props to Jay for having some guts about doing this. This kind of thing is the very reason why I hated the few short months I worked news, and why I never will again. Don't have the figs to match Jay's fortitude. Mad props.

 

[Clerk Typist]

Jay, know anyone at the IRS? Might be easier to report on a successful investigation by them, even if it takes some time, than on something where paperwork, in theory, be created, backdated, etc. Remember, that's how they got Capone.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

As I have told others, I no longer do sports. I work on investigative pieces and news side stuff.
I occasionally venture back into sports land, but just for freelance money.
Anyway, I'm working on a project that involves my local cops.
In short: I'm working on an article that basically says all my local cops are tax cheats. They are issued patrol cars to take home and they have to declare their commuter mileage as income. They aren't. They also have to declare as income if they are getting a place to live for free or a reduced rate. Some apartment complexes will hire the cop as off-duty security and their payment is free or reduced rent.
That is income and the cops seem to be operating under the "I'm a cop, so I don't have to follow the law" rule.
They may also be maintaining dual residences. One for their wife and family and one for their mistress/girlfriend. Stashing the other girl in the free place.
The ones who live in the suburbs may have also registered to vote in town so they could cast ballots in the local races. That would be like voter fraud.
Word travels and it has gotten around what I'm working on.
A reporter from another outlet e-mails me and says he has heard that they are scheming to harass me or just beat me up.
He also writes, "Dude, You might want to be careful with that story. Leave messages as to where you are and where you will be. ... You know how the cops and all around here are. Just be careful."

So, this is some good stuff. If I seem to be gone for more than a few days at a time, notify the Justice Department or something.

And Marriott points are income, but I doubt any sportswriter is declaring that.

 

[gingerbread]

Anyway, I'm working on a project that involves my local cops.
In short: I'm working on an article that basically says all my local cops are tax cheats.

I'd be careful about blatant generalizing.

It might also help if you could pick the brains of some of the reporters who caught Bernard Kerik in all sorts of illegal shenanigans and ethical violations. I bet they'd have a few pointers.

 

[BYH]

I blame the Clintons. First, Vince Foster, now you, Jay.

Thank you hondo.

Don't you have crosses to burn somewhere?

 

[Batman]

Where the apartments are concerned, is it that much different than someone who works as the complex's handyman or super in exchange for a break on the rent? How often do those guys report it as income?

And just to play devil's advocate for a minute, but is your brother a cop in this particular town? Is that complex where cops get free keys in this town? You'd better have some rock-solid proof on the mistress allegations -- up to and including photos or multiple, multiple sources -- before you run that. That's how libel suits are won.
Good luck with this, Jay, but be careful in more ways than one.

 

[Dickens Cider]

Well-played.

 

[Simon_Cowbell]

I'm doing an investigative report on reporters who investigate cops who don't pay their taxes. It's very taxing.

I would guarantee that virtually 100 percent of sports writers who travel could get pinched if such a story was written.